Devarim: Live Fearfully Courageous

Fear is an uncomfortable emotion. It doesn't have to be, but I think it often is for a lot of people. In part, I suppose, it's because we are constantly told NOT to be afraid. 

'Live Fearless' is a popular (albeit grammatically incorrect...) slogan, and there are endless amounts of songs, movies, and books that remind us not to be afraid of, well, anything. And our Torah portion this week, Devarim, seems to echo that sentiment. In speaking to the Israelites about establishing fair courts and unbiased judges, Moses tells them: 'You shall not be partial in judgment: hear out low and high alike. Fear no person, for judgment is God's' (Deut. 1:17).  But there's a problem here.

If these are the people issuing verdicts, what does Moses mean when he says that 'judgment is God's'? And how is this verse meant to be understood? Is it supposed to comfort the judges, knowing that God 

has got their back, and they therefore need not fear any mere mortal? Or is this a warning? Rabbi Shai Held, in his commentary on this, writes: "[this] could either mean that the judges should not fear the powerful because God will protect them, or, more likely, that they ought to fear offending God more than they fear offending any human.' This, by the way, is why I wrote above that our parashah 'seems' to echo the 'live fearless(ly)' idea. In truth, Judaism does not teach that we shouldn't fear anyone or anything; rather, we should fear God.

This too can be an uncomfortable topic. A lot of translations will render 'yirah' as 'awe' rather than 'fear,' because it's easier to talk about being awed by God rather than fearing God. But why should we shy away from this? It's ok to feel fear, to worry about what the future holds, to be concerned that we could be doing more with our lives, and to not make careless, foolish mistakes that could be dangerous to ourselves and/or others. Fear also gives us 

some good, healthy common sense sometimes... The Book of Psalms teaches us: 'Fear of Adonai is the beginning of wisdom' (Ps. 111:10). Conversely, courage isn't always great. One could argue that terrorists/suicide bombers have tremendous courage, and certainly no fear, and they use both to do immeasurable damage. Courage isn't about having and living with no fear, but perhaps, as Rabbi Held puts it, 'courage... is not fearlessness, but rather a refusal to be governed by our fears.' Courage is the embracing of ALL of our emotions - living as a whole person - and using the completeness of our emotional range to make the best decisions.

I believe that fear of God can focus us. It reminds us of the consequences of our actions. It achieves BOTH sides of what Moses was trying to teach the judges: it emboldens us to know that when we respect, honor, 

and yes, fear God, God in turn protects us, by giving us the courage and strength to do what is right. And it also keeps us honest (hopefully...), knowing that there ARE repercussions for corruption, bribery, and fraud. Fear can be good. It shouldn't be irrational, crippling, or rule our lives. But the fear of Heaven, of Adonai, can motivate and bolster us. Strange as it may seem, it can be the very thing that makes us courageous, and leads to a life more wholly in touch with all our emotions.

Photos in this blog post:

1. CC image courtesy of Geof Sheppard on Wikimedia Commons

2. CC image courtesy of Storye book on Wikimedia Commons

3. CC image courtesy of LibraryBot on Wikimedia Commons

4. CC image courtesy of MarmadukePercy on Wikimedia Commons